In a wireless communication system, a wireless device communicates with an access node using a wireless communication link. The physical layer of the wireless communications link, such as a frequency or frequencies, can comprise one or more logical channels. Communications from the access node to the wireless device are typically referred to as downlink communications, and communications from the wireless device to the access node are typically referred to as uplink communications. Each of the uplink and downlink communications can comprise one or more portions for bearer data, for example, related to voice or data communications, and one or more portions for non-bearer data. Examples of non-bearer data in downlink communications comprise initial cell access information, resource assignments for wireless devices, control and bearer data formatting information, bearer data ACK and NACK responses, and the like. Examples of non-bearer data in uplink communications comprise automatic retransmission request (ARQ) and hybrid automatic retransmission request (HARM) ACK and NACK messages, channel quality indicators (CQI), MIMO feedback (such as a rank indicator, a precoding matrix indicator, and the like) and scheduling requests for uplink transmission.
Overview
In operation, an interference level is determined in an uplink portion of a wireless communication link between a wireless device and an access node, and a traffic class of data is identified in a first portion of the uplink portion. Resource blocks in a second portion of the uplink portion are selected based on the determined interference level and the identified traffic class. The wireless device is sent an allocation of the selected resource blocks in the second portion of the uplink portion, and control channel information is received from the wireless device in the uplink portion in the selected resource blocks.